Saving FireWarrior Shas'La
by DestinyOfTheDamned
Summary: A Warhammer Fanfiction based off the movie 'Saving Private Ryan'. Retold using the Tau as the Allies and the Imperial Guard as the Axis.


**AUTHORS NOTES: ****This is my first fan fiction that I have written and I based this story off the movie 'Saving Private Ryan'. I decided to make the Allies Tau, and the Axis the Imperial Guard. I am fully aware that my Story can be inaccurate – For example, I know Tau have Blue-ish blood, and that such tactics within the story would not have been executed. However I wanted to make the story relatable to the movie but still have the Warhammer 40k theme. Using Imperial Guard against Chaos seems too overused. I also provided a Tau Lexicon just in case people are unsure of words used. This is the first chapter, of many to come. Thankyou ~DestinyOfTheDamned**

**Tau Lexicon**

**Shas'La** – Warrior, Lowest Rank

**Shas'Ui** – Veteran, Second Lowest Rank

**Shas'Vre** – Hero, Middle Rank

**Shas'El** – Noble or Knight, Second Highest Rank

**Shas'O **– Commander, Highest Rank

**La'Rua** – Team of 6-12 Firewarriors

**Kau'Ui **– Up to 6 Firewarrior teams, forming a Cadre

**Tio'Ve** – Up to 3-4 Cadres

**'****Sindile** – Survivor

**Gue'La** – Human

**Saving Firewarrior Shas'la**

He hated this feeling. That sinking feeling, the one that eats away at your soul from the inside, the feeling before the storm. It was not the first time Firewarrior Shas'Ui'Sindile had experienced this though, and his past haunted his mind at this very moment. However, there was no room for sorrow and grief; he had to be strong, for his new La'Rua. A sudden explosion to the right of the modified Devilfish brought him back to his senses, and the reality of his situation hit him hard. He was part of a huge Tio'Ve, which was approaching Mu'Gulath Bay fast, and by ocean, as part of the Tau's Third Sphere Expansion and under the command of Shas'O Shadowsun.

He would not have been so worried if it wasn't for the current situation that this Tio'Ve were in. A huge, unknown EMP blast had disabled almost all of the Tau's heavy fire power – No broadsides, No hammerheads, not even air support could be called in, so the Tau were storming the Bay of Mu'Gulath, a heavily defended Imperial Position, with their numbers and pulse rifles. The only advantage that they had was that Commander Shadowsun was attacking another section of Mu'Gulath, and had diverted most of the Imperial Guards firepower to her forces. Yet another explosion rocked the Devilfish. The Intel gathered was that this Bay was defended by dug in Heavy Weapons Teams and several fortified bunkers with Heavy Bolters, all manned by the limitless numbers of the Imperial Guard. This upcoming battle would claim countless lives. Out of 35,000 Firewarriors and Pathfinders, he was curious as to how many would survive, if any.

A red light suddenly lit up, illuminating the gloomy interior of the Devilfish. Glancing around himself he nodded to his fellow Firewarriors, and he knew that they were just as nervous as he was. The only thought clouding his mind was that, why were the Ethereals permitting this barbaric assault? Did they not consider that without firepower this battle would be a blood bath? Shas'Ui'Sindile was about to address his La'Rua, giving them the drill when suddenly the red light flickered to green, and the Devilfish brought its rear to the front, the doors swinging open.

Shouts and screams ripped through the air as hails of shrapnel, bullets and lasgun fire were pumped into the openings of the Devilfish, as the Firewarriors disembarked into the waters of the Bay. A Devilfish, near to Sindile's suddenly erupted into flames, due to a well placed mortar shot, the passengers inside all but incinerated. A heavy bolter round struck the Firewarrior in front of Sindile and a spray of a deep red covered him, the warrior hit slumping into the already stained waters of Mu'Gulath. Another one of his squad members got struck, this time in the head, brain goo and gristle erupting to the side of him, and Sindile dived under the lapping waters. Immediately he regretted it. It was no mistake that Tau were a fairly small heighted race and the waters of Mu'Gulath easily covered him. The weight of his equipment began to drag him down and he could see his fellow brethren falling to the same fate, struggling under the current. Another hail of bullet struck the waters, several more Firewarriors going limp and lifeless. He wasn't going to die like this. With all the strength he could muster he propelled himself upwards and breached the surface of the waters, the sounds of the battlefield echoing in his ears. Clambering onto the shore he could see his remaining three Firewarriors crouched behind crude looking iron tank traps.

Shovelling up sand and gravel as he dived behind the rusty iron, he could finally take in what was going on. To his right a Firewarrior with a flamer was charging up the bay followed by several pathfinders. An accurate shot from a lasgun struck the gas canister and an explosion erupted, claiming the carrier of the flamer, as well as the pathfinders around him. Sindile was dazed, and his vision suddenly became faded. He felt like...he wasn't there. Like he was floating in an empty void, all noises mute to his ears. His past began to reopen the wound that he had tried so hard to cover, the memories playing in his mind like a movie...he felt numb. He couldn't even feel the charred flesh of the exploded flamer raining down upon his armour. A shout from one of his Firewarriors, and another loud explosion, this time from a mortar brought him back from that mysterious and upsetting feeling he just felt.

"Shas'Ui! What the fuck do we do?! It's a blood bath, we need to move! Now!" Conscious of the mayhem, he grabbed the arm of the Shas'La. Sindile nodded towards the bunkers. "There is a bank, a slight hill just before the bunkers! If we can get there" – A mortar round rocked the earth, and Sindile could see a Shas'La, ripped in two, still conscious and screaming for help, organs and bone spewn out along the ground. "If we can get there then we can get around the bunkers and flush them out with flames! Get ready to sprint! For Aun'Va! For the Greater Good!"

Clambering to his feet Sindile charged head down up the beach, followed by his own Firewarriors and several others who had gotten the idea. The Imperial Guard who were cooped up inside the bunker just ahead of this charge realised the threat, and made no waste to ammo. Unloading their weapons violently onto the charge they claimed more lives, blood forking out of the tau they hit like lighting. Another one of Sindile's squad got hit, right in the leg. The size of the round all but severed the leg at the knee, the round turning his kneecap into mashed bone and blood. As he fell, a lasgun round pierced his eye through his helmet, frying his brain. He was dead before the body hit the ground, not even a scream of pain emitted.

Now, legs burning and eyes streaming, Sindile reached the bank, diving with all his might into the ground. He thanked himself for his helmet. He did not want to be seen in this state. Thankfully he was not alone though and many more Tau were also reaching the bank, using it as perfect cover as they could not be shot here, just so long as they kept their heads down. Un-strapping his pulse rifle from his back whilst still lying down in an awkward position, Sindile grabbed one of his ammo clips and slammed it into the bottom of the rifle, getting a satisfying click and a faint hum from the gun in response. Thanking the Earth Caste for waterproof weaponry, he caught sight of several medics trying their hardest to keep a fellow Shas'Ui alive, who was suffering from several lasgun hits. Stabilizing his condition, they began to drag him towards the bank when another round struck the Shas'Ui in the head, ending his life. Enraged, the medics gave up their efforts, throwing down what medical supplies they had left. Picking up their weapons, they also made it to the bank.

A firewarrior, crouched beside Sindile held a quite oversized radio device and was trying to contact the Air Caste, demanding air support. Grabbing him Sindile took the radio mouthpiece. "We're all getting slaughtered out here! Our coordinates are 15.6, 67.8, get us some god damn firepower!" Chucking the mouthpiece back, Sindile turned to his remaining squad member, who was crouching to high for comfort. "Shas'La, get do-" A round scorched the side of the Shas'La's helmet, leaving a black trail running down the side. Any closer to the right and he would be dead. Frozen in shock the firewarrior started to laugh in disbelief when another round found home dead centre in his forehead. Cursing to himself Sindile turned back to the radio operator, finding out that he too had been killed, the radio also rendered useless. Several more firewarriors and a pathfinder wielding a railrifle made it to the banks. "Shas'Ui, you're in command of us now, what the hell do we do?!" Briefly poking his head over the bank to look at the bunker, he noticed that the slits that the guns were firing through were also big enough for a small explosive. Grabbing his small, distortion grenade, Sindile gave the orders that could decide the fate of his life, and perhaps even the battle.

"If we can get this device through one of the slits in the bunker, the gunners will be rendered useless for a few key seconds! This time will allow us to get to the front of the bunker, underneath the firing line of the weaponry! From there, we get around the bunker and flush these bastards out! On my go, we run!" Nodding in acknowledgment, 6 firewarriors and the pathfinder readied themselves for a final push. Pressing the activation panel on the device, Sindile tossed it over the bank at where he estimated the largest slit in the bunker to be. If he misjudged this, they would all die. He ordered the charge. "For the Greater Good!" Exploding on key, the device just managed to land in the slit and dazzled the occupants inside of the bunker.

Pulling himself up the bank along with his newly found squad, they sprinted to the bunker, barely making it before the heavy guns began roaring and spitting with death. Almost crushing themselves against the bunker the Tau roared in achievement. Now, they needed to get around the bunker. Being closest to the edge of the bunker, Sindile poked his head around the corner, and immediately gunfire from a heavy weapons team met him. Jerking backwards Sindile almost knocked his fellow warriors over. "We need to get eyes on these Gue'La!" Noticing a broken shard of what looked to be glass nearby, he picked it up. Holding it out at an angle, slightly from the bunkers edge, he got a good look at the Imperial Guard position. "One heavy mounted bolter surrounded by sandbags, manned by two of the Imperials...If we can provide you with covering fire, pathfinder, can you take them out?" "Yes Shas'Ui, I could hit a bird from a miles distance" "Good. On my mark, head for the crater directly a head of us, and from there you can get a shot at them. May the Greater Good guide you"

Looking for a firewarrior amongst them with a pulse carbine, he found one. "Shas'La with the carbine, go on point. Use what ammo you have to prevent the Gue'La from firing in retaliation. I will be supporting you with my own weapon. On my go, you fire. Don't aim to kill, just suppress. Bonus points if you manage to hit one." Chuckling the carbine carrier moved into position. Checking his gun for sufficient ammo, Sindile readied himself, as did the pathfinder. "Ready...Now!" Leaning out from the cover of the bunker, the firewarrior with the carbine fired upon the sandbagged position, the glowing pulse rounds hitting the sandbags at such force that they began to fall. Using this covering fire, the pathfinder scrambled into the crater, and set up his railrifle, the gun lighting up with a neon blue along the barrel, whirring with anticipation to be fired. Holding himself steady, he began to murmur to himself. "May the Etherals guide my shots and Aun'va protect me..." A sandbag fell loose from the carbine shots and revealed the torso of an Imperial. Grasping the opportunity he discharged his gun, the railrifle round ripping through the humans flesh with such speed and power that it exited the other side and struck the other Imperial Guard in the arm, almost severing it.

Standing up in agonising pain the remaing Guard was immediately mowed down by the Carbine.


End file.
